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While we like our collector's edition games, there's no question that even the better bundles are full of knick-knacks we'll use just once or twice. No one will say the same for Codemaster's GRID 2: Mono Edition, though. The UK-only bundle includes the GRID 2 racing game, a PS3 to play it on... and a very real BAC Mono supercar. Whoever buys the £125,000 ($188,700) kit will get to both pick up the 280HP single-seater as well as customize it at the BAC factory, including the racing suit for those inevitable track days. With just one instance available for GRID 2's May 31st release, the Mono Edition bundle is more of a promotional stunt than a business strategy -- but it might be the only special edition where the extras are more exciting than the game itself.

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bacBacMonocarcodemasterscollectorseditiongaminggrid2monops3sportscarsupercarVideoGamesFri, 24 May 2013 11:32:00 -040021|20582906http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/09/the-perfect-ten-mmos-that-died-in-development-hell/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/09/the-perfect-ten-mmos-that-died-in-development-hell/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/09/the-perfect-ten-mmos-that-died-in-development-hell/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#comments
If you know me, you probably know that I have a weird fascination with alternate history. You know, the daydreams of historians when they're not rewriting the past to suit the latest trends. "What if?" my mind wonders, especially when it comes to MMOs.

You see, for every game that actually makes it to launch, there are several that die gasping and alone in the bowels of development hell. Sure, many of these are pathetic creatures that didn't really stand a chance anyway, but there are some that could have made an impact on the industry if they had reached release and been halfway decent. We'll never know what a world would look like with these games in them, but we can always muse, "What if?"

Continuing Perfect Ten's recent dark streak, here are 10 MMOs that died in development hell; it's to our eternal loss that we'll never get to play them.

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38-studioscheyanne-mountain-entertainmentcodemastersdark-age-of-cameloteafeaturedhalohalo-mmohumorimperator-onlinejagexjumpgatejumpgate-evolutionlevel-5microsoftmythicmythicaopinionp10perfect-10perfect-tenproject-copernicusra-salvatoreroundupstargate-worldsstellar-dawnthe-perfect-10the-perfect-tenthqtodd-mcFarlanetop-10top-10-listtop-tentop-ten-listtrue-fantasy-livetrue-fantasy-live-onlineultima-xultima-x-odysseywar40kwarhammer-40000-dark-millennium-onlineThu, 09 May 2013 11:00:00 -0400319|20546510http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/08/the-perfect-ten-non-vanilla-server-rulesets/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/08/the-perfect-ten-non-vanilla-server-rulesets/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/08/the-perfect-ten-non-vanilla-server-rulesets/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#comments
I've always thought that rulesets are a golden opportunity for MMO developers to get creative with their products and try something fresh and exciting. Unfortunately, most every MMO these days, new and old, adheres to the four "vanilla" rulesets that have been in place since Pong. You have your default PvE, your same-as-PvE-except-we-have-a-naming-policy PvE-RP, and the two player vs. player variants: PvP and PvP-RP.

Those are all well and good, but... y'know... couldn't rulesets be used to create fascinating variations on these games? It turns out that yes, yes they can.

While the vanilla rulesets are the vast majority, there does exist a group of fringe rulesets that dared to walk the different patch, er, path and made versions of MMOs that are a bold and refreshing flavor. Like blue! Sometimes these new rulesets were whipped up to inject new life into an aging title, giving players a valid reason to come back and see the game from a different perspective.

In this week's Perfect Ten, we're going to check out just how wild 'n' wacky server rulesets can get!

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5150acage-of-conanasherons-callblood-and-glorycity-of-heroescodemasterscohcooperativedaocdark-age-of-camelotdarkfalldofuseqeqiieqmaceveeve-onlineeverquesteverquest-iiexchangefallen-earthfeaturedffafree-for-allheroiclandrovallord-of-the-rings-onlineloreplaylotroperfect-10perfect-tenpermadeathplanes-of-powerprogressionpvproleplay-encouragedrperule-setrulesetrulesetsserverserver-rulesserversshadowbaneshardshardssiege-perilousstation-exchangesubscriber-onlythe-perfect-10the-perfect-tenturbineultima-onlineuovanguardvip-onlyThu, 08 Sep 2011 10:00:00 -0400319|20035644http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/16/the-guild-counsel-an-interview-with-the-syndicates-sean-stalze/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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As you pack your bags for that trip to the beach (or that annual fan gathering) and you toss in that bottle of sunblock (or aspirin), you might want to make some space in your bags for some summer reading as well. Fortunately, there is a growing number of titles, such as Adam Trzonkowski's Guild Leader's Companion, that examine the methods and lessons of running guilds and online communities. To that list we can add Sean "Dragons" Stalzer's sequel, The Syndicate: Beyond the Legend, which is now available at Lulu and soon to be sold at Amazon.

In the book, guild leader Sean Stalzer picks up from where his first book left off and gives us even more insight into the MMO industry and his guild leadership philosophy. The book is divided into three parts. The first covers The Syndicate's recent history and continued relationship with several MMO studios as well its job writing guides for Prima Games. In the second part, Sean explains his time-tested philosophy for running a guild, dubbed S.U.C.C.E.S.S. And the last section of the book looks at where MMOs are headed and what's needed down the road.

Sean took the time to talk to Massively about his new book, and there was so much to discuss that this interview is split into two parts. In this week's Guild Counsel, Sean talks about the lessons he's learned from his work with MMO studios. He looks back at how it's influenced his leadership approach, and he gives a glimpse of why he's excited about his current work with 38 Studios. Read on for the interview!

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38-studiosBig-Huge-Gamescodemasterscopernicuscurt-schillingfeaturedguild-counselguild-leadershipguild-managementguildsreckoningsean-stalzersoeSony-Online-Entertainmentthe-syndicateUltima-OnlineWorld-of-WarcraftThu, 16 Jun 2011 18:00:00 -0400319|19967494http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/13/codemasters-website-hacked-tens-of-thousands-of-personal-acco/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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This must be the season of the hacking witch as we've now seen yet another company's online security walls breached. Independent UK games developer Codemasters, responsible for titles like Dirt 3 and Overlord, has reported that its website was hacked on the third of June, exposing the names, addresses (both physical and email), birthdays, phone numbers, Xbox gamer tags, biographies, and passwords of its registered users. Payment information wasn't compromised, but when you consider that almost everything else was, that feels like hollow consolation. For its part, Codemasters says it took the website offline as soon as the breach was detected and a subsequent investigation has revealed the number of affected users to be in the tens of thousands. Those who might have been affected directly are being emailed with penitent apologies, while the rest of us are being pointed to the company's Facebook page while its web portal is kept offline.

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breachcodemastersdatahackhackedhackingprivacyprivatesecuritysecurity breachSecurityBreachukunited kingdomUnitedKingdomxboxxbox liveXboxLiveMon, 13 Jun 2011 04:03:00 -040021|19965113http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/10/codemasters-website-store-and-database-hacked/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Another day, another game publisher in a hacker's crosshairs. This time around it's Codemasters, and Eurogamer has the details on a security violation that compromised the company's website, EStore, CodeM database, and Dirt3 VIP code redemption webpage. The intrusion occurred on June 3rd, and Codemasters has sent out a letter to affected customers advising of the potential threat to their identity-related information.

The article reports that no payment details or credit card info was pilfered, but encrypted passwords as well as Xbox Live gamer tags and personal data (including addresses and user names) were taken. Thus far no groups or individuals have claimed responsibility for the attack. You can read the full Codemasters letter at Eurogamer.

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It's been about a week since European players of Lord of the Rings Onlinebegan the migration over to Turbine's servers, and the transition has not been nearly as smooth as one could hope. That having been said, the team is working diligently behind the scenes to try to address the issues many players are experiencing, with community manager Sapience making a post today outlining the two major fixes coming up to try to alleviate the issues.

The first fix will be a simple patch to the migration tool itself, which is expected to be live on Friday or shortly thereafter. The other fix will require some server downtime as the team works at fixing some database issues. Sapience also explains that Codemasters had previously flagged some accounts incorrectly with the database migration, and he promises that the players missing VIP time will be addressed sometime next week. While it won't remove the Lord of the Rings Online migration issues, it's at least a step in the right direction.

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codemasterscommunityeueuropelord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromigrationregionsapienceserver-migrationserversturbineturbine-entertainmentThu, 09 Jun 2011 21:00:00 -0400319|19963303http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/06/01/the-daily-grind-has-an-mmo-made-you-sentimental/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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It's a fact of life around the Massively offices that one can often find members of the staff engaging in sentimental gestures from time to time. Whether it be Shawn singing softly to his Tabula Rasa box or Larry lighting a candle to hold vigil for Darth Vader, we are no strangers to the pull of nostalgia and fond attachments.

While end-of-the-world events are often steeped in sentimentality, they don't have to be the only times where such expressions emerge. Has an MMO ever made you sentimental, and if so, will you share with the rest of the class? It's OK, we won't share it with your significant other, promise.

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

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codemastersdarth-vaderlarrylord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroopinionsentimentsentimentalshawntabula-rasatdgthe-daily-grindturbineWed, 01 Jun 2011 08:00:00 -0400319|19953769http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/05/31/moving-day-lotro-eu-players-begin-transfer-to-turbines-global/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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It's the end of one world... and the beginning of another. Or at least that's how it feels for many Lord of the Rings Online players in Europe this week as Codemasters hands the operational baton over to Turbine. Codemasters devs and GMs gave their best wishes to the LotRO players they watched over these past few years with a huge "thank you" notice on the site.

Once the transfer is complete, all LotRO players will fall under Turbine's global service umbrella. As part of the move, Turbine is offering EU players a limited-time chance to sign up for a year's worth of VIP status (which includes 500 Turbine Points a month) for £79.99 (or approximately $131.94).

Currently the game is down for European players until the process is complete, which Turbine estimates will take between two to three days. Details about the account transfers can be read in the LotRO EU Account Migration FAQ.

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account-migrationcodemastersdealeuropeeuropeanf2pfaqfree-to-playglobal-servicelord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrolotro-eulotro-global-servicepromotionsubscriptionturbineturbine-entertainmentturbine-global-serviceturbine-pointsvipTue, 31 May 2011 11:30:00 -0400319|19954203http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/26/turbine-assuming-full-control-of-lotro-in-europe/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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The LotRO Global Service is on its way. That's the short version of Turbine's announcement that it'll be taking over Lord of the Rings Online in Europe.

Codemasters will continue operating LotRO until June 1st of this year, after which "Turbine is taking over full operations of The Lord of the Rings Online throughout Europe starting June 1, 2011. We're merging the US and EU services into one mega-service we're calling the LOTRO Global Service."

This summary is at the head of a combined announcement and FAQ Turbine has provided to answer any questions players might have. A long list of those has been anticipated and answered, such as how EU players will migrate their accounts, whether characters and inventory will be affected, whether VIP and Lifetime accounts will be changed, and so on. You can check out all the details on Turbine's official announcement page.

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codemastersf2pfree-to-playftplord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrolotro-euturbineturbine-entertainmentTue, 26 Apr 2011 09:30:00 -0400319|19923874http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/07/find-a-little-bit-of-lord-of-the-rings-online-all-across-europe/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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If you're a player of Lord of the Rings Online on the European servers, Codemasters has a very simple request for you -- find Middle-earth. And before you get in your head to try to be a tricksy hobbitses by just logging in, you should understand a bit more context. The European player community is being encouraged to take part in a new contest to find Tolkien's setting all around, looking for the parts of the real world that most closely resemble Middle-earth in feel and appearance.

Running from April 7th to April 20th, the contest asks players to find a location that reminds them of a place within the game's setting, take a photo, and submit it to Codemasters with a description and an explanation. The best entries will win a variety of goodies, including Siege of Mirkwood hoodies and a variety of in-game prizes. Lord of the Rings Online was in no small part inspired by the landscape of Europe, so players should find plenty of opportunities to find the fantastic right in their own backyards.

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codemasterscontestf2pfree-to-playlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrolotro-europemiddle-earthphoto-contestturbineturbine-entertainmentThu, 07 Apr 2011 19:00:00 -0400319|19906407http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/26/turbine-upgrades-lotros-compromised-account-reiumbursement-poli/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Account security is a worrysome topic in Lord of the Rings Online these days, especially following a reported rise in hacks and thefts among the playerbase. A couple months ago Codemasters implemented a stronger policy to help players recover lost property, a direction that Turbine followed yesterday when it revised its compromised account reimbursement policy.

Sapience announced on the LotRO forums that this policy is significantly updated and expanded from the old one. Now when a player's account is hacked, Turbine gives a seven-day window to report the issue, during which the company can restore "most" of the lost items and compensate players for items that cannot be replaced. This, however, is not a true rollback and does not cover accounts compromised before February 24th.

Turbine also reassured players that the studio is making it much tougher for unauthorized intruders to delete or sell rare items like raid gear, which should add another layer of protection from losing one's goods.

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codemasterscompromised-account-reimbursementcompromised-account-reimbursement-policycompromised-accountshackhackedhackerslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroreimbursementrollbacksapiencetheftturbineunauthorized-third-partySat, 26 Feb 2011 20:00:00 -0500319|19860168http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/02/04/the-road-to-mordor-creating-your-roadmap/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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I wish to preface this week's column by saying that I'm not advocating just one way to play a game. I think it's equally valid to explore at your own pace, team up as a duo, maximize TP revenue, or set whatever goals you like and pursue them. But after leveling one character to the cap and playing several others, I've begun to develop a roadmap, if you will, that helps guide my progress somewhat efficiently. It's this roadmap that I want to share with you today.

The thing is, for all I love about Lord of the Rings Online, the game is definitely littered with timesinks of epic proportions. It already takes a long, long time to get your character up to 65 and through the two expansions, and that's only going to increase as the game grows. There are a lot of distractions and unnecessary grinds (such as virtues you will never use) that can bog you down too long and perhaps dishearten you.

So when I created a Minstrel in LotRO a little while back, I decided to map out his progress from level 1 through 65 by creating a broad framework -- an outline, really -- that serves to keep me on track so I don't have to backtrack as much later on to get these goals done. I have a very "two birds with one stone" mentality, so if I'm doing one task in a zone, I'd rather be accomplishing two or three at the same time. So for example, if I'm grinding out a deed, I'd rather do it at level at which I'm getting XP than 20 levels later when I'm not (although the latter has its merits for rapid deed completion).

Hit the jump and I'll give you the rundown of how to eliminate some of the confusion and speed bumps of leveling.

The program has a few prerequisites, among them player support eligibility and GM verification of the actual account owner. Claims must also be filed within seven days of the security breach, and reimbursement methods will vary at Codemasters' discretion. You can read the official announcement on the Codemasters website, and you'll also want to check out Customer Service Manager Sincilbanks' blog entry on the subject.

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account-hackingaccount-securitycodemasterscodemasters-onlinef2pfantasyfree-to-playhackedhacked-accountslord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-onlineLordOfTheRingslotrorestart-programrestart-programmeWed, 26 Jan 2011 20:00:00 -0500319|19816739http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/the-road-to-mordor-hacked/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/the-road-to-mordor-hacked/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/01/21/the-road-to-mordor-hacked/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#comments"My kinship had just finished an instance run about a week-and-a-half ago and was in the process of reloading back into the world when I got the message that I was being disconnected because I had just logged into the Brandywine server. Huh? Suspecting the worst, I immediately hit up the Turbine Account page and changed my password then re-logged back into the game, which would boot the hacker offline just like I had been booted minutes earlier.

"I was lucky and did that before the hacker had time to switch servers to where my active characters are. Other kinmates have not been so lucky."

So goes the frightening tale of Pumping Irony's Scott, who shares this in the hopes that others may avoid a similar scare. Unfortunately, it seems as though stories such as these are becoming more and more common in Lord of the Rings Online, where the worst threat to your quest may not be the eye of Sauron but the malicious intent of hackers gutting your account while you're offline.

Today we're going to step off the path for a temporary side trail into the gloomy undergrowth of account security and an MMO under siege.

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a-casual-stroll-to-mordoraccountaccount-securityauthenticatorblizzardblizzard-authenticatorCodemastersCompromised-Accountcracked.comffxivfinal-fantasy-xivfirewallhackedhackersiphonelord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromalwaremiddle-earthparanoiapasswordpasswordspumping-ironysapiencesauronsecurityspywarethe-road-to-mordortokensturbineturbine-accountTurbine-Entertainmentvirus-scannerworld-of-warcraftwowFri, 21 Jan 2011 19:30:00 -0500319|19807873http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/31/the-road-to-mordor-a-year-in-middle-earth/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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What a difference a year makes, eh? One year ago, and you didn't have to put up with me yammering at you every Friday like a hyperactive badger with a personality disorder. One year ago, and we weren't free-to-play-anything, Turbine was its own company, the festivals were nowhere near as cool as they are today, and shrews freely roamed the land without fear of reprisal.

So in my last Road to Mordor (of the year, stop rejoicing over there!), I thought it'd be great to look back at the wild rollercoaster that was 2010 in Lord of the Rings Online. I also thought I'd get an easy column out of all this, but that was before I had to read through 1,337 posts and my eyeballs began to lose pressure.

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anniversarybilboclosed-betacodemasterscontestcraftingddodungeons-and-dragons-onlinee3end-of-the-year-2010enedwaithexpansioneyeball-pressuref2pfall-festivalfree-to-playfrostbluff-theatrehaunted-burrowisengardisengard-private-preview-programjeff-jungejeffrey-steefelkate-paizlord-of-the-rings-onlinelore-masterlotrolotterieslotterylua-scriptingmoddingmodsoath-of-the-rangerspaxpax-2010pax-primeqareputation-mountsrise-of-isengardrune-keepersapienceshrew-stompingshrewssiege-of-mirkwoodspring-festivalsteed-of-nightsummer-festivalsyp-is-so-dreamytalk-like-a-pirate-daythe-road-to-mordorthird-anniversaryturbineturbine-entertainmentvaultvolume-iii-book-1wardrobewarner-broswbwinter-homeyule-festivalFri, 31 Dec 2010 12:00:00 -0500319|19781462http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/16/the-perfect-ten-most-controversial-mmo-stories-of-2010/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Well, this is it, folks. The end of the year. A time of reflection, of massive weight gain and of lists. Man, we like our lists, do we not? Fortunately, at Perfect Ten Industries, we've been excelling in lists for months now. Frankly, we're just getting warmed up!

While 2010 may not have been much to write home about in terms of newly launched MMOs, there was more than enough controversy to keep the discussion brewing for months. MMOs are big business, and when every move you make is closely scrutinized by millions of gamers, there's no room to slip up unless you like forum hyenas pouncing all over you, snapping and snarling at your faulty flesh.

So let's take a jaunt down our top 10 list of the most controversial stories of 2010 on Massively, keeping in mind that it was devilishly hard just to keep this list to 10 at all. What's a week without being riled up about pixels and polygons, after all?

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advisory-councilalganonallodsallods-onlineapocryphaAtaribethesdaBethesda-Softworksc-storeccpCCP-GamescodemasterscontroversyCraig-Zinkievichcrypticcryptic-studiosdavid-allenddoddo-offer-walldelayderek-smartdungeons-and-dragons-onlineeaea-lousElectronic-Artsend-of-the-year-2010europeeuropean-games-awardseveeve-onlinefeaturedfinal-fantasy-14final-fantasy-xivgpotatointerplaylaglawsuitlegallord-of-the-rings-onlinelotromythicMythic-Entertainmentoffer-wallragequitsquare-enixstar-trek-onlinestar-wars-the-old-republicstostockstockholderswtorthe-old-republictorturbinewarWarhammer-OnlineThu, 16 Dec 2010 17:00:00 -0500319|19753971http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/09/world-of-warcraft-will-reign-for-another-20-years-according-to-i/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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With all of the recent focus on World of Warcraft following its latest expansion, it's no surprise that the industry leader is at the center of another round of "What will topple WoW?" discussions.

In an article on Eurogamer, industry analysts and developers lend their thoughts as to what made World of Warcraft so dang popular to begin with, and what it will take -- if anything -- for another game to beat its popularity, subscription numbers and cultural footprint. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter declared that nothing will top the title for at least 20 years due to an insurmountable lead, although this became debated by the other participants.

Codemasters' Dave Solari imagines that the winning formula "would have mass market appeal, with instant accessibility, would work on all platforms, particularly mobile, be incredibly viral and social -- like a feature-rich FarmVille."Undead Labs' Jeff Strain thinks that MMO studios should be looking at it a different way: "They should instead be striving to achieve the same level of success with their own game ideas."

Some even speculate that Blizzard is the only studio capable of besting its own game, perhaps with its second MMO that's due to be announced in 2012. Head on over to Eurogamer for the full discussion.

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age-of-conanaocBjorn-Book-LarssonblizzardBlizzard-Entertainmentcataclysmcodemasterscraig-morrisoncrypticcryptic-studiosdave-solarieurogamerfarmvillegamers-firstjack-emmertjeff-strainMichael-Pachterundead-labsWedbush-MorganWorld-of-Warcraftworld-of-warcraft-cataclysmwowThu, 09 Dec 2010 13:00:00 -0500319|19753809http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/06/codemasters-files-suit-over-jumpgate-evolution-delays/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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We have all been waiting for Jumpgate Evolution for quite some time, but perhaps no one quite as much as Codemasters. As a matter of fact, the company is so tired of waiting on the game to come out that it's decided to file a civil complaint against Netdevil and its parent company Gazillion Entertainment for the delays in publishing the eagerly anticipated sci-fi space shooter.

While the announcement on Codemasters' official Jumpgate Evolution site doesn't offer anything beyond the generic "yes, we did this, here's what court we filed it in, no other comment at this time" statement, the court document itself makes for interesting (if dry) reading. Essentially, Codemasters charges that Netdevil failed to meet contractual guidelines, which called for the studio to ship the game by February 24th, 2009. During that time, Codemasters paid almost 1.4 million USD to Netdevil to help underwrite the game's development and for "art assets." Codemasters is also seeking compensation due to setting up servers, website, community team, etc. for the European version of Jumpgate Evolution. Ultimately, it boils down to a pretty standard breach of contract that offers Codemasters' share of interest back to Netdevil and Gazillion in return for all monies invested in the project to date. Whether or not this brouhaha will cause any changes to the timetable for Jumpgate Evolution will remain to be seen. We'll keep an eye out as the case progresses.

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breach-of-contractCodemasterscodemasters-onlinegazilliongazillion-entertainmentjgejumpgatejumpgate-evolutionlawsuitnetdevilMon, 06 Dec 2010 14:30:00 -0500319|19748397http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/14/one-shots-the-darkening-of-the-light/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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With our brethren across the pond enjoying the free-to-play model of Lord of the Rings Online, we've been seeing more screenshots coming in from the game of late. If American servers are any indication, there are likely a whole bunch of people returning to (or taking their first steps in) the lands of Middle-earth. What adventures and sights await them? Well, one of the things that lies ahead is the Mines of Moria, a spectacularly spooky spot captured for us today by François C., who writes in about his experience:

"I began to play Lord of the Rings Online more than two years ago (which does not make me an MMO veteran, strictly speaking, but I'm beginning to feel that way). Anyway, as a true casual player, I'm discovering the game at my own rhythm -- that is to say, very slowly. I am still regularly surprised and pleased by the magnificent scenery. [This] screenshot was taken in the Water-works in the Mines of Moria. It is a bit dark, as expected, but I feel it does a great job conveying the almost inconceivable talent of dwarves at building and engineering and the strange atmosphere in the Moria -- a kind of mix of immensity and claustrophobia."

Would you like to share some images of your recent adventures? We're always on the hunt for more screenshots of the many different MMOs out there -- but we need your help. Email your screenshots is in to us at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in!

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Codemasterscodemasters-onlineFrancois-Clord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroone-shotsscreenshotscreenshotsturbineTurbine-EntertainmentSun, 14 Nov 2010 14:00:00 -0500319|19715935http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/07/codemasters-denies-picking-up-apb/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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If you were holding out hope that the defunct urban crime MMO All Points Bulletin would be resurrected courtesy of the folks at Codemasters, Eurogamer has a little bit of cold water to throw on your fire. David Solari, Codemasters Online general manager, minces no words in a recent interview.

Rumors circulated that the publisher might be picking up the pieces of the shuttered MMO, left scattered by the closing of Realtime Worlds, when former RTW community manager Ben Bateman updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect his new job at Codemasters. Epic Games has also been rumored as a potential salvager, and Solari says that someone will inevitably pick up APB's assets, if only for the innovative tech. "If they don't pick up the game then they will pick up the technology for sure, because the avatar and character customisation technology is incredible. Something will definitely be done to preserve that," he muses.

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all-points-bulletinall-points-bulletin-gameapbben-batemancodemastersdefunctepic-gamesgame-closingmmo--industryRealtime-WorldsRealTimeWorldsrumorstechnologySun, 07 Nov 2010 15:00:00 -0500319|19706308http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/29/v-e-me-day-lotro-europe-announces-launch-date-for-free-to-play/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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It's been a long time coming, and after some legal hemming and hawing, Codemasters announced that Lord of the Rings Online in Europe will be finally launching the much-anticipated free-to-play version of the game. On November 2nd, LotRO will open its doors to free players across Europe.

This comes after a two-month period of limbo for EU players, which began two days before the update launched in North America. Codemasters had cryptically announced that F2P would be put on hold for what turned out to be contractual reasons. Fortunately, it seems as though the red tape has been cut, and players are free to sample the same blessed bounty as their NA comrades.

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breakingCodemastersenedwaitheuropef2pfree-to-playharvest-festivalharvestmathlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrolotro-eulotro-storeturbinevolume-3-book-2volume-iii-book-2Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:00:00 -0400319|19694972http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/21/players-speak-and-devs-deliver-lotros-new-vault-system-and-eu/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Quite often the mark of a good company is how it responds to player dissatisfaction. While it may be riding high on cloud money as of late, Lord of the Rings Online's recent decisions have not made all of its players happy, and both Turbine and Codemasters are taking steps to rectify these situations.

On the European front, it seems as if there's finally movement toward the promised free-to-play launch with a new preview event. Starting next Monday, October 25th, EU players are invited to hop on to the test server and give it a whirl. As a reward for participating, Codemasters will be gifting 500 points toward the store to all testers. Interested parties may trek over to the preview sign-up page to be a part of this momentous occasion.

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auto-sortcloud-moneycodemastersdev-diaryeueuropef2pfree-to-playinventorylord-of-the-rings-onlinelotropromotionturbinevaultvault-2.0vault-3.0Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:30:00 -0400319|19684599http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/codemasters-comes-clean-on-lotro-eus-free-to-play-delay/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/codemasters-comes-clean-on-lotro-eus-free-to-play-delay/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/19/codemasters-comes-clean-on-lotro-eus-free-to-play-delay/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsLord of the Rings Online players are well aware that something has been rotten in the state of Denmark -- and the rest of Europe -- with the lengthy and unexplained delay in rolling out the new free-to-play update in the region. While we've speculated on the cause, Codemasters has been cagey and non-specific during the past month and a half, only promising that a solution was coming "soon."

That changed today, as general manager David Solariposted a letter on the LotRO EU forums clarifying the situation. It turns out that the hold-up was due to legal rather than technical obstacles: "As many of you correctly surmised, the issues have been contractual rather than technical. As they were contractual issues, we are bound by confidentiality and you will understand that I can't give you any further detail... Unfortunately a contract was required in order to go free-to-play and this has taken much longer to conclude than expected. The good news is that the contractual issues have been resolved and we are on the home stretch."

Solari promised more information later this week, claiming that the F2P launch is "imminent." Codemasters is in charge of operating Lord of the Rings Online in the region while Turbine handles the responsibility in North America. You can read the full letter over at the LotRO EU forums.

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captain-codemasterscodemasterscontractdavid-solarif2pforumsfree-to-playlegallord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrolotro-eulotro-europelotro-f2pturbineTue, 19 Oct 2010 11:30:00 -0400319|19680057http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/08/the-road-to-mordor-the-codemasters-conundrum/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote, "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." In light of recent events, we might turn that phrase to become, "Do not meddle in the affairs of players, for they are outspoken and very, very quick to anger."

When we first heard of the delay, I assumed it would be shortly resolved -- perhaps no more than a week or two at the most -- which is why I've mostly kept from discussing it in this column before now. Tech problems happen, there's always legal traps waiting, code can be glitchy, and regionalization is an ever-present obstacle. But at this point it feels as though the EU "Have-Nots" community has been under siege from lack of information and a frustrating view of the "Haves" across the pond.

When will it be their turn? Why didn't Codemasters see this coming? How is the EU team trying to mollify the community as the devs scramble to get this puppy to live? Let's take a journey, you and I, through the past month and into the near future. Don't mind the hobbits picketing the Shire -- I'm sure it'll all work out.